A Southern California woman is living every pet owner’s worst nightmare after two of her beloved Labradoodles were brazenly taken from her parked car in broad daylight — with surveillance video capturing the chilling scene.
Esma Bohannon’s tragic ordeal started last month when she left her pups, 7‑year‑old Coco Chanel and 3‑year‑old Taco, inside her car in Encinitas while she ran quick errands.
She rolled the vehicle’s windows down and left a large bowl of water inside bowl so the pups wouldn’t overheat.
That’s when a pair of unidentified women swooped in, pulling the dogs from Bohannon’s car before loading them into their own vehicle.
The heartbroken dog owner has watched video of the dognapping over and over.
“It was just not real to me. I looked inside and I was in shock… I was terrified,” Bohannon told ABC 10.
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“I just can’t even describe how that feels that someone is taking away your loved ones.”
She wondered aloud whether the women thought they were rescuing the dogs because of the heat.
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“Hopefully it really was a situation where somebody thought, ‘I will help her out,’” Bohannon said.
But that’s cold comfort to the inconsolable dog owner, as neither Coco nor Taco have shown up at any shelters or humane societies, despite both pups wearing tags bearing Bohannon’s phone number.
Bohannon filed a report with the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office and is begging anyone with information to come forward.
“I just really would like to have two dogs back, and that’s all that I want,” she said.
